Copenhagen’s CopenPay has seen more than 30,000 “voluntourists” since its 2024 pilot. Berlin has followed with BerlinPay. “Tourists don’t just want to see a city anymore – they want to be part of it. CopenPay gave them that opportunity. DestinationPay is how we scale this mindset to the world,” says Søren Tegen Petersen, CEO of Wonderful Copenhagen. Accessibility is also being pushed to the fore. Inclu Group’s IncluCare, designed for the luxury market, launched its B2B platform Inclusive Luxury Hotels last year, focusing on the built environment to ensure destinations are inclusive for travellers with visible and hidden disabilities. Technology as a force for good Advances in technology have enabled the industry to use clearer, more measurable data. The World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s Universal KPIs initiative, part of the COP29 Declaration, provides a global framework for hospitality businesses to measure and report key ESG metrics. Glenn Mandziuk, President and CEO of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance says: “Overtourism showed us the limits of ‘growth at all costs.’ By aligning around Universal Sustainability KPIs and interoperable data, the industry is gaining a common language and framework to measure impacts and manage visitor flows with transparency and consistency. Supported by technology and collaboration, this shift is critical to creating tourism that benefits communities and the planet as much as it does visitors.” Travalyst’s Data Hub is aiming for industry alignment in identifying and tracking community impact metrics alongside revenue to help grow tourism more sustainably and help local
“Responsible tourism is about making better places to live in and better places to visit”
because they do not know where else to go. In Australia, travel intelligence provider, Riskline, found that although many Australians want to explore more of their country, high costs, limited options, and expensive interstate travel act as barriers. International visitors face similar accessibility challenges, prioritising iconic destinations such as Sydney, the Great Ocean Road, and the Great Barrier Reef. Tour operators such as MEJDI Tours is using tourism as a “tool for peacebuilding, cultural understanding, and economic justice” partnering with communities in more than 40 countries to create “transformative journeys that elevate marginalised voices, foster empathy, and inspire long-term social impact.” Others fostering a community approach include France’s Normandy region’s Low-Carbon Rate where attractions and museums offer discounts to visitors arriving by train, bus or bike. Denmark’s DestinationPay initiative similarly rewards tourists for actions which give back to local communities, such as litter picking or using bikes instead of taxis.
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Iconic destinations like Australia’s Great Ocean Road are overvisited due to many factors Denmark’s DestinationPay initiative rewards tourists
for actions which give back to local communities
Iceland reinvests tourism levies directly into environmental protection
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